All of us at Bonai Shalom express our utter shock, sadness and outrage at the murder of the young, engaged couple Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were brutally shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night. They worked for the Israeli Embassy and had devoted their lives to diplomacy and peace. May their memories be for a blessing and may all the mourners be comforted. Along with Jewish people across the globe, we will be honoring their memories on Shabbat.
We recognize that this attack stirs up many emotions, including fear for our own safety as potential targets of hate crimes from anti Israel, antisemitic activists. As always, we will have our armed security guards at our services this Shabbat and do all we can to keep each other safe. I have pasted the “Rapid Response” email from Jewish Colorado at the end of this email.
Like many of you, I have read many of the statements from different organizations responding to this act of terrorism and I am not sure what else there is to say. I am afraid that this attack, claimed by the sick and deeply misguided shooter to be “for Gaza,” will make everything so much worse for Jews, Israelis and Palestinians; as a violent act and violent rhetoric embolden extremists everywhere. I hope I am wrong.
No words are adequate in the aftermath of this horror and we hope for as much calm and civility and healing as possible, even as we are outraged and scared.
One of the most important responses is to continue to stand proudly as Jews with our beautiful practices and traditions. We have a spirited musical Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday night at 6pm, and we are celebrating the wonderful joint Bnei Mitzvah of Andrea and James Fernbach on Shabbat morning. As always, we need community, sacred time and our powerful lifecycle to keep us strong and hopeful!
May the memories of Sarah and Yaron be for a blessing. Strength and comfort to their heartbroken families and to all of us.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Marc
Rapid Response: D.C. Shooting
To our Jewish Colorado Community:
The American and global Jewish community is devastated by last night’s killing of two Israeli embassy employees at reception in the nation’s capital. Our hearts break over the loss of life and the horrific violence that has taken two young, vibrant, and promising lives.
The two staffers include 27-year-old Sarah Milgrim, who was a devoted Jewish American staff member at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, a research assistant in Middle East and North African Affairs at the same embassy. Sarah was from Kansas City, with strong roots in the local Jewish community there. According to our Federation partner, she was active in the Jewish Student Union in high school, took part in many Jewish leadership programs, and graduated in 2021 from the University of Kansas. She later served on the board of directors for KU Hillel. Yaron Lischinsky, the Israeli Embassy staffer killed alongside Sarah, had purchased a ring and was set to propose to Sarah in Jerusalem in the coming days.
What We’re Doing
Beginning immediately after this incident occurred, the local team of Secure Community Network (SCN) at JEWISHcolorado has been in repeated contact with a range of law enforcement agencies statewide and beyond. Our partners in law enforcement are answering the call to increase presence around Jewish institutions and at major events. In addition, the SCN and ADL national-level teams are aggressively leveraging their joint resources for any actionable intelligence on this matter. As the investigation of the attack continues to unfold, there have been no identified ties or specific, related threats in Colorado against any Jewish facility or individuals.
“This is another grim reminder of the need for all Jewish facilities in Colorado to ensure effective training and preparation for their safety/security elements,” said JEWISHcolorado’s SCN Regional Security Advisor Kevin Farrington. “With the help of JEWISHcolorado, SCN offers a range of safety/security programs to the Jewish community, all free of cost,” he said.
What You Can Do
Just this week SCN Colorado announced a new training called “Guardian Teams,” which is effective for synagogues and other organizations with safety teams. It is effective for synagogues and other organizations with volunteer or professional safety teams.
Beyond this training, SCN Colorado also offers training in Situational Awareness, Countering Active Threats, De-escalation, safety training for camps and campuses, and creating Emergency Operations Plans. All these trainings can be augmented with scenario-based drills. The time to prepare to keep our community safe is now. Please reach out with questions or to schedule training at the contact information included below. Finally, please make sure you advise the SCN Colorado team of any security related incidents at your facility.
Together, forward
The Jewish community of Colorado is strong. We stand in solidarity with Jews across the country and around the world in our commitment to combat hate. We are not alone. We received a letter of support this morning from our partnership community in Nitzana, Israel: “This terrible incident is a powerful and painful reminder of the importance of unity, compassion, and resilience. In times of darkness, it is our shared values and collective strength that carry us forward. Now more than ever, we must stand together — strong, empathetic, and committed to building a safer and more peaceful world for Jews and all.”
May we have an unbreakable resolve to move forward together, and may the memories of Sarah and Yaron be for a blessing—and a source of strength.
Sincerely,
Renee Rockford, President & CEO, JEWISHcolorado
Ben Lusher, Board Chair, JEWISHcolorado
Contact Kevin Farrington, Regional Security Advisor, SCN,
with questions: kfarrington@securecommunitynetwork.org
